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This paper aims to investigate the process performances in Emergency Departments (EDs) with a novel data-driven approach, permitting to discover the entire patient-flow, deploy the performances in term of time and resources on the activities and flows and identify process deviations and critical bottlenecks. Moreover, the use of this methodology in real time might dynamically provide a picture of the current situation inside the ED in term of waiting times, crowding, resources, etc., supporting the management of patient demand and resources in real time.

The proposed methodology exploits the process-mining techniques. Starting from the event data inside the hospital information systems, it permits automatically to extract the patient-flows, to evaluate the process performances, to detect process exceptions and to identify the deviations between the expected and the actual results.

The application of the proposed method to a real ED revealed being valuable to discover the actual patient-flow, measure the performances of each activity with respect to the predefined targets and compare different operating situations.

Starting from the results provided by this system, hospital managers may explore the root causes of deviations, identify areas for improvements and hypothesize improvement actions. Finally, process-mining outputs may provide useful information for creating simulation models to test and compare alternative ED operational scenarios.

This study responds to the need of novel approaches for monitoring and evaluating processes performances in the EDs. The novelty of this data-driven approach is the opportunity to timely connect performances, patient-flows and activities.

The purpose of this study is twofold: exploring new queue-based variables enabled by process mining and evaluating their impact on the accuracy of waiting time prediction. Such queue-based predictors that capture the current state of the emergency department (ED) may lead to a significant improvement in the accuracy of the prediction models.

Alongside the traditional variables influencing ED waiting time, the authors developed new queue-based predictors exploiting process mining. Process mining techniques allowed the authors to discover the actual patient-flow and derive information about the crowding level of the activities. The proposed predictors were evaluated using linear and nonlinear learning techniques. The authors used real data from an ED.

As expected, the main results show that integrating the set of predictors with queue-based variables significantly improves the accuracy of waiting time prediction. Specifically, mean square error values were reduced by about 22 and 23 per cent by applying linear and nonlinear learning techniques, respectively.

Accurate estimates of waiting time can enable the ED systems to prevent overcrowding e.g. improving the routing of patients in EDs and managing more efficiently the resources. Providing accurate waiting time information also can lead to decreased patients’ dissatisfaction and elopement.

The novelty of the study relies on the attempt to derive queue-based variables reporting the crowding level of the activities within the ED through process mining techniques. Such information is often unavailable or particularly difficult to extract automatically, due to the characteristics of ED processes.

This paper aims to model a decision support system (DSS) that could overcome the oversimplified, subjective, compensatory decision logic of extant purchasing portfolio models (PPMs) by leveraging the firms’ procurement-related knowledge base.

The DSS was developed through a fuzzy-based approach, whose design and application were framed within a case study in a multinational company.

The application of the fuzzy-based DSS to a product class suggests investing in the relationship with two specific suppliers and to loosen the relationship with a third one.

Exploiting the fuzzy set theory and fostering the elicitation of procurement-related knowledge from the decision-makers, the DSS effectively tackles the concerns about the existing PPMs by including strategic-oriented priorities and contextual constraints in the evaluation.

The recommendations in output from the DSS are feasible, more analytical and easy to interpret, enabling knowledge sharing, group decision processes and better decision-making.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this manuscript is the first attempt to effectively integrate traditional PPMs with contextual, strategy-related factors to refine the purchasing directions and make them objective.

Open innovation (OI) literature suggests that firms can improve their innovation performance by learning from a large set of actors in the innovation process. However, the extant literature has overlooked the “who” question: which partners should be included in the different phases of the innovation funnel? How should they be selected? This paper aims to offer, while focusing in the early phases of the innovation process, a list of possible criteria for partner evaluation and suggests a structured methodology for their selection.

An empirical test of both the criteria and the methodology is presented with reference to a company operating in the Advanced Underwater Systems sector. The authors propose a peer-based modification of intuitionistic fuzzy (IF) multi-criteria group decision-making with TOPSIS method (peer IF-TOPSIS). IF-TOPSIS allows coping with subjectivity, imprecision and vagueness in group decision-making problem under multiple criteria.

The paper proposes an innovative application of a peer-modified version of IF-TOPSIS to a challenging and complex decision problem – partner selection for OI – which is usually subjected to uncertainty and evaluation from multiple experts.

This work contributes to the extant literature advancing the criteria that could be used in the selection process, avoiding focusing on single specific aspects of the collaboration phases or on specific types of partners (suppliers).

This work presents the results of the survey “Organisational structures and logistics in the branded product history of the grocery section in Italy” developed with the aim of pointing out the organisational structures for the logistics co‐ordination of successful firms. Starting from a review of the literature on the main logistics organisation theories, this paper presents an organisational analysis of 118 industrial firms, working in Italy in the grocery sector, carried out for the main logistics activities. On the basis of this anlaysis, a classifying model of the organisational configurations presently adopted in Italy for internal integration is proposed. According to the model, six different organisational solutions have been singled out: integrated logistics, partially integrated logistics, bipartite logistics, distribution logistics, manufacturing logistics, and split logistics.

The paper seeks to investigate the applicability of strategic supply chain management (SCM) models in one-off luxury contexts such as the yacht industry, where durable products are manufactured with project configuration.

A literature review was assessed in order to identify contingency-based SCM models. Then, multiple case-study analysis was performed to explore how these models are adopted in practice for drawing strategic SCM directions. Data arose from a number of interviews to the top-management of four world-leading yacht-building companies.

The findings of explorative case studies suggest the implementation of various strategic SCM strategies in order to fit the requirements of the market (e.g. protect critical resources, implement a customized leagile production strategy, enhance SC flexibility). In this direction, specific SCM practices are already adopted by investigated firms.

A call to develop specific strategic directions for project-based luxury business is suggested, as the SC contingencies of this context have not been properly caught by extant literature.

A set of practical indications are offered in order to support managers in the choice of an appropriate SCM approach and related operational practices. Identified techniques and tools aim to achieve high customisation while reducing changes in specification.

This article represents a first attempt to investigate the SCM issue for durable luxury products in the project context.

This paper attempts to provide an empirical cross‐industrial study on critical success factors impacting on “price” and “process” performance in business‐to‐business (B2B) e‐reverse auction design.

Based on an online survey to a panel of academic experts and practitioners, the paper presents the empirical validation of a previous conceptual model using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) approach.

Results demonstrate that a multi facet construct consisting of six main dimensions impacts on e‐auction performance. Moreover, these dimensions differently impact on price and process performance.

Because of the complexity of the framework, the sample size and the qualitative nature of experts' observations, results should be seen as more indicative than conclusive and therefore generalization should be additionally tested.

Findings provide useful information for the formulation of managerial decisions in designing the auction event/process and supporting the definition of different negotiation strategies.

This article is a first attempt to test a conceptual framework on critical factors impacting on e‐reverse auction performance in a B2B context. A lot of conceptual papers try to systematize the numerous variables affecting e‐auction success and their complex relationships into a single comprehensive framework; nevertheless there is a lack of empirical evidence supporting these models especially in the B2B context.

The purpose of the present study is to analyze the development of supply chain management (SCM) introduction in the construction industry, investigating the risk factors affecting the implementation of SCM principles.

To achieve the research objective a literature review approach was adopted, which involved the selection and classification of about 140 research articles. Papers were critically classified and analyzed according to a risk management (RM) perspective.

Results from the literature review identified a lack of construction supply chain risk management (CSCRM) literature which is mainly conceptual and descriptive and focused especially on the risk assessment phase. A total of 13 common risk factors are identified in literature and critically analyzed considering eight key perspectives. These stress the attention on the project planning phase and confirm the main contractor as the main promoter for the SCM practice.

The developed model has to be further investigated and tested with empirical case studies and its major limitation results from a subjective selection of researches and from the comparison between findings with distinct aims.

The research explores SCM literature in the construction field, spanning a period of 11 years (2000‐2011). None of the review dealing with SCM principles focuses on the risk management area in the construction field. Findings constitute a first attempt for the development of an operative risk assessment framework supporting a successfully implementation of SCM in the Sector. Gaps in research are described in order to give a contribution and encourage additional works.

Notes that logistics costs in the grocery sector, in Italy, are about 25,000 billion lire and that in order to reduce these costs logistics integration has to be improved between institutions of the distribution channel. Focuses on two of the main institutions of the grocery distribution channel: branded product industry and large‐scale trade. Referring to these institutions and to the logistics functions they carry out, analyses integration areas in order to identify some organizational and managerial solutions for improving interfunctional and interorganizational co‐ordination. In particular, divides these solutions into three main groups according to the level of integration they refer to: internal integration (inside each business), vertical integration (between businesses located at different stages of the channel) and horizontal integration (between different businesses located on the same level of the channel). Internal and horizontal integration are the prerequisites for achieving vertical integration and consequently for achieving synergies between the institutions involved.